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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701010">Rivers of Gold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_is_shocking/pseuds/that_is_shocking'>that_is_shocking</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Unusual Occurrences [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dark Ending (kinda), End of the World, Kid Fic, Letters, M/M, Minor Character Death (I think? a little bit), Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Slight horror, other characters not mentioned in tags</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:36:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_is_shocking/pseuds/that_is_shocking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dear Johnny,<br/>Today was normal. The boys and I got up, they got on the bus, and I did laundry. I hope your research is going well, and that the boat is not too hard to be on. Hopefully your day is less... weird than mine. It was okay until ten ish. </p><p>But then it started to rain</p><p> </p><p>(This is kind of horror? Not really, but like, a little bit? It's also in letter form)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Unusual Occurrences [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Rivers of Gold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>well hello children. Why did you click on this? It's awful? Anyways, this story is a little different than my normal stuff here, but it's actually pretty close to my "Original Work" writing thing. All I used to write for my school publication was kinda creepy stuff like this.<br/>I did enjoy writing this though, I like this style, so there will probably be more eventually. </p><p>But yeah, I hope it was a little creepy, a little unsettling, idk. Let me know in the comments if you liked it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dear Johnny, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I’m writing this to you, but there’s really not much use, the mailman’s not coming around anytime soon. The phone lines are down, but the power’s not out. Something’s…. Happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>          I’ll start from the beginning, because today was… different. The boys were easy enough to wake up, Mark tried to play sick for a little while, but he got up once he figured out he couldn’t go to baseball practice tonight if he didn’t go to school. Jisung was happy enough with the idea that he’d get to see Chenle at recess. (I hope the paperwork to move him up a grade goes through, he’s miserable in first grade all by himself). It was honestly a completely normal morning, just a light drizzle outside, so I put Jisung in his red raincoat and boots. Mark refused to wear rain boots, apparently he wasn’t going to go outside today for recess, so I let him off. You’d have made him wear them though, which is something I miss. I feel like a pushover. The elementary bus came at 7:45 like it always did, and Mark and I walked Jisung up to the bus. I could see YangYang in the back, so something must have been wrong with Kun’s car. Mark told me he could wait at the bus stop for the middle school bus by himself, and that Donghyuk was going to be there soon, so I headed back home. The bus passed by about thirty minutes later, and then it was just me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I cleaned up from breakfast, and started in on the laundry. I was planning on doing all the sheets today, after I finished with the clothes, and then maybe the towels too, but I didn’t ever really get around to them. I could do them now, but I have to stay awake, this letter is helping me. Anyways, I cleaned Nettie’s litter box, and checked on Mark’s fish. They still are going strong, but I don’t know how long they’ll last, them being fair fish and all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then it started raining harder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>          I didn’t really think much of it, until someone’s car alarm started going off. It wasn’t the minivan, it was in the garage, so I didn’t check it out until it got weirdly muffled. The rain was pounding down outside, but it wasn’t flooding anything. I checked the basement, no water. It was making these </span>
  <em>
    <span>rivers </span>
  </em>
  <span>outside. Like time had sped up and there were streams of water cutting little canyons through the cul de sac. Mr. Shim’s mailbox was gone, probably fell in, but the reason the car alarms were going off was because the water was sitting about half a foot below the street, and cars were falling into them. The road just was being carved away like butter! I’ve never seen anything like it. There was one that cut our driveway off, and went a little into the yard, but we were mostly untouched. They didn’t seem to be getting any bigger, just… they were filling with fish? Little goldfish sized things, that were orange and white like koi, and gold like regular guppies. Hundreds and hundreds. I checked the basement again, and got my umbrella. The rain was surprisingly quiet,  just a light whisper, for what felt like gallons of water pounding against my umbrella. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          They were beautiful. I wanted to catch one with my hands, but they were fast. Beautiful though. There were more rivers forming, about three feet across, and making nonsensical paths through the cul de sac, the road and the starts of the yards. They seemed to avoid the houses though? The closest to a house I saw was by Ten and Tae’s old house, about twelve feet from the garage door. It was bizzare. I must have stood there for a few minutes, just looking, when a great big splash snapped me out of it. The Lee’s car was completely in one of the streams. It looked about two feet deep? In deeper places it could have been four or five feet. I was worried they were just going to get deeper and deeper, so I went to get your fishing waders and set out for the schools. Mark’s was the closest, and with my raincoat and the waders, I felt like someone on that show you watch about the crab boats in alaska. Just completely bundled up in waterproof. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The fish were getting a little bigger, koi sized now, not guppy sized, and I didn’t really want to get too close to them. They didn’t feel like normal fish to me really, so I just found places to step over the streams as much as I could, and crossed quickly when that didn’t work. It took me about an hour and a half to get to Jisung’s school, and they were surprisingly unbothered there. I signed Jisung out, and he was bummed that he didn’t get to hang out with YangYang and Chenle for very long, but we had to go so I just told him they could hang out this weekend, or next week at school (if school is open of course, I doubt it will be but I didn’t want him to have a meltdown) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Everyone was surprisingly unconcerned with the rivers, and the fish, and the weird rain. I didn’t see Yuta around to get Chenle, or Kun for YangYang, so I couldn’t really tell anyone that I found it a little concerning. I did see Jinwoo there to get Sanha though, I waved hello. No MJ, and Jinwoo looked a little pale. I hope his family is alright. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Jisung only had one temper tantrum while we walked to the middle school. He lost a rock he had picked up in one of the streams, and started with the pouty angry whining (he gets that from you) until I found him a new one to play with. The rivers here were wide, about the width of the road, but they were much shallower. They didn’t seem to be getting wider there, so I wasn’t in full panic mode yet. I had to piggyback ride Jisung across a few of the deeper ones, because his boots weren’t very tall, and I had the full waders, I could have gone up to about my belly button and still been alright, but I didn’t chance it with anything deeper. I wanted to hurry to Mark’s school, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Remember the news article last year about that old man who fell over while he was fishing, and his waders filled up so he couldn’t get up and he drowned? Yeah, that was absolutely not happening to me, especially with Sungie on my back. He’s light for a first grader, It wasn’t too hard. I’m not as strong as I used to be though. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Mark was waiting on the curb when we got there. The middle school had cleared out quickly, he wouldn’t tell me why, I’ll ask him tomorrow. I traded him the waders, because I wanted to keep him dry. He looked like he was swimming in them though, they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>yours </span>
  </em>
  <span>after all. I did get a picture with my phone though, he looked so cute! If I had any way to send it to you, I would, but our mailbox got swallowed up too, and there’s no service so far. I check every hour to see if it’s up yet, but nothing so far. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Getting home was harder. Things were getting deeper, and one river had joined another, making it as wide as the five lane highway. I held onto Mark though, and he held onto Jisung, and we made it across alright. I saw someone in a kayak higher up the river, but I didn’t stop and wait to say hey. The rain was still coming down hard, and by the time we got back home, Mark was grumpy, and Jisung was almost in tears. The house was still okay, nothing close to it or anything, and there was still no water in the basement. Once I got the boys warmed up, we just spent some time looking outside at it all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The fish were huge. You and your scientist friends would have a field day just seeing how they grew. Mark says he saw one the size of Ten’s great dane, but the biggest one I saw was Nettie cat sized. We’re camping out in the living room tonight, (It’s about midnight here now) and its </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful </span>
  </em>
  <span>outside. The fish sparkle with even the tiniest bit of light, and there are a few street lights still on. The rain still is going, quiet as ever. Mr. Shim is home, I see light in his house, the lights are on in the house with the lady who always has great christmas decorations, and in Josh’s house. Both of the boys are conked out, Jisung and I are on the L couch, and Mark is in your recliner. I’m looking out the window right now, and the rivers look like molten gold. I really want to go out and look at them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I know that this letter isn’t going to get to you any time soon, but I miss you. I’m not too scared, but I’m worried about this. This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>bizarre</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If your mother were here, she’d be talking about the end of the world. It’s calm, if it really is the end of the world. The rivers don’t flow fast, but there are just so many of them. I’ve got to check the basement again, and then I’ll see if that old transistor radio works still. The wifi was fried with the service, but we still have heat and light, so the radio will probably work? I don’t know how to opperate it, but I’m sure there’s a book on it down there somewhere. You used to be so into that radio, there has to be some instruction manual somewhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I love you, and I miss you. Please come home soon, I’m… worried. Whatever research you’re doing on the ocean can’t be stranger than this. Say hi to Taeil, Yuta and Doyoung. Tell Taeyong that Ten misses him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>                                        -So much love, your husband Jaehyun (and Mark and Jisung)</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear Dad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Papa wrote you a letter last night, he thought I was asleep, but I wasn’t. He thinks the rain is quiet, but I can hear it so clearly. It’s deafening. He also cried a little bit last night, but don’t tell him that I told you. He’s really asleep this morning, he’s snoring super duper loudly. He stayed up all last night to watch the basement. I’m gonna do that today to let him sleep a little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Yesterday was scary. There was a big river that went through the gym right as we were playing dodgeball, and Renjun fell in, he didn’t get out either. Nobody said anything though! I tried to, but then the teachers were telling us we had to go back to our classrooms and that they were cancelling school. It was like everyone got picked up immediately, and I was left all by myself! Well, Mr. Byun stayed with me a little while to keep me company, but Mr. Park came and told him that they had to go. Papa took so long to get there, and then we had to walk back home. I didn’t want to go in the water, but we had to to get home. I got to wear your waders though so I was pretty dry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I miss you a lot. This whole thing is really really scary, and you’re super smart and strong, so if you were here you’d be able to fix it. There are big things moving in the water out there, and I don’t want to go outside. Nettie wants out though. I won’t let her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I named my fish from the fair yesterday morning, but now I don’t really like them. They remind me of the fish in the creeks. I named them Teenie and Dream though. Please come home soon, and bring Uncle Yuta back too. He has to go find Renjun in the water. Renjun can swim, so he’s okay, but he probably floated really far away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>                                          -Love, Mark</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear Daddy, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I am really good at writting now! Ms. Yeri teeches us evry day. Chenle is gooder at writting then me. I want to be in his class, I am sad when I am alone. The fishys in the big rivirs are verry big. They are like Unkle Tens dog Dandy. Ther are even more big ones, like the fishies you shoe me at home for bedtime storys. Jeongin does’not beelive me that you are a reesercher. He says that sientists are old and evil, like Doctor Doofenshmirtz. Did you now that thees fishies in the new rivers can sing? I can heer them outside. Mark sayed that we can not go outside. I want to go outside thou! Papa is sleeping stil so Mark is the leeder. I am sad that I can not go out to see the fishies. They sownd reely nise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I love you Daddy and you need to come home to see the fish. And for my birthday. I am going to be seven.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>                                           Sinserly, Jisung Seo</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear Dad</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Everything’s going wrong. There’s more than fish in the water. Whatever it is has big teeth, and they hiss really scary. Jisung kept whining that he wanted to see the fish, so I took him out, and the rain got so quiet. He said the fish are singing and that he can hear them. I can’t hear anything. He nearly fell in so we went back inside right away. When we went back inside, Papa was still asleep. He won’t wake up though, I tried to yell at him, and to shake him, but he just keeps snoring. I’m so scared Dad, you need to come home soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I had to lock Jisung in the closet by the bathroom downstairs, he kept trying to go back outside. I don’t want to be in charge anymore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>         It’s dark out now. I saw one of the things eat a raccoon. It was terrible. Nettie is staying inside with me, and I let Jisung out of the closet. I know it was not nice of me to do, because Jisung is younger than me and I’m supposed to look after him, but I didn’t know what to do! I tied a rope around his ankle. It’s not tight, but I tied it to the stairs, so he can’t go outside, but he can be out of the closet. He’s asleep right now, right next to the front door, with his ear pressed to the door. Papa is still asleep. He’s breathing though, and the basement doesn’t have any water in it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>                                       Please please come home soon. I’m scared</span>
</p><p>
  <span>                                       -Mark</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear Dad, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          I can hear them now. They sound like you, and Renjun, and all my friends. They said that it’s okay, and that I don’t need to be scared. Something’s wrong with Jisung, whenever they talk he gets really really pale, and after they stop, he always starts crying to go outside. I might let him out, the rivers are safe after all. I can go with him to make sure he’s safe and doesn’t fall in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          There’s a little water in the basement. It’s super dark, and there are things moving in it. I know we were supposed to make sure no water got in, but the water’s okay. The fish told me so. The fish also said they knew where your research boat was on the ocean. That makes sense because fish are super smart, and because all rivers lead to the ocean eventually. They said that you knew what was happening and that it was safe. I also saw Unkle Sicheng in the water, waving. He was further down, and I didn’t have shoes on so I couldn’t go outside yet, but once I got outside he was gone. The fish said that he was just looking to make sure we knew that Renjun was okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Jisung is whining again. It hurts my ears, so I’m going to let him go outside. We’ll be back in a few seconds though. I love you, the fish are going to take me to see you, so see you soon Dad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>                                        -Mark</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HEY! Before you go anywhere, let me know what you thought! This bad boy is different than anything I've written here before.<br/>If you wanna chat on insta, I'm @that_is_shocking. I also got a tumblr recently (idk why) and I don't really know how to use it because despite being gen Z, tumblr has never been where I hang out. I'm @that-is-shocking there though too, if tumblr is your thing (it's not mine yet, but idk, it could be? I'll figure it out eventually)<br/>Anyways, hope you enjoyed, leave me some feedback if you want, but if you don't then that's chill, I've only ever left one comment ever on another person's work, because I'm #anxious.<br/>I've gotta go, love ya!<br/>-Alex</p></blockquote></div></div>
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